How an Offense Can Beat a Defense in American Football

Running against a 4-3 front.

An offense can attack a 4-3 front (four down linemen, three linebackers) in many different ways, but one common strategy is to attack what coaches call the bubble side (the defensive side where the two linebackers are positioned).

This play is called a delay draw to the strong side (the tight end side) of the offensive formation. The right guard (RG) blocks down on the defensive nose tackle (N), and the fullback (FB) runs into the hole and blocks the front-side linebacker (ILB). The right tackle (RT) blocks the defensive end (DE), keeping him out of the middle, and the tight end (TE) blocks and contains the outside linebacker (OLB). When the ball carrier reaches the line of scrimmage, he should find open space between the offense’s right guard and right tackle.